From: Ben Goertzel (ben@goertzel.org)
Date: Sat Dec 31 2005 - 19:12:09 MST
Hi all,
> PEAR has been putting out detailed Technical Reports for many years.
>
> http://www.princeton.edu/~pear/publist.html
I studied these results carefully some years ago. My strong
impression was that either:
a) these are a fraud, or
b) psi phenomena are real
There seems no significant possibility of error here, or biased
reporting of results, etc.
> Dean Radin has an interesting book forthcoming (ENTANGLED MINDS); I find
> some of his attempts at theory premature and simplistic, but the data are
> intriguing, especially concerning "presentiment" results.
I think the "premature and simplistic" label applies well to most of
the attempts at theorization of the PEAR group.
They correctly observe that quantum theory potentially allows types of
psi phenomena, but the details of their quantum-esque explanations
don't impress me.
The possibility of quantum explanations of psi seems to me potentially
connected to subtleties in the interpretation of the "delayed choice
quantum eraser" experiment, see
http://www.bottomlayer.com/bottom/kim-scully/kim-scully-web.htm
and links therein. (I could say more on this topic but lack the free
time at the moment, unfortunately.)
I am not a "true believer" in psi by any means, but I do take the
possibility very seriously.
And, I do consider it an SL4 topic because if psi exists, it may have
fundamental implications regarding the nature of the physical/mental
universe, which may be relevant to radically superhuman AI's, as well
as to ourselves.
-- Ben G
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